Automobile.



A. w. BENJAMIN.

' AUTOMOBILE.

APPI-IOATION nun Hum, 1910.

980,185, Patented Jam 3,1911.

FIG. 5 F/ G. 8.

l l TN E5556. I/v TOR 8f AHKBENJAM/N.

ALBERT wnsnny BENJAMIN, or YARKER, ONTARIO, CANADA.

AUTOMOBILE.

4 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 3, 1911.

Application tiled lebruelry 2 1916. Serial No. 541,530.

To all whomit may concern:

Be it.known that I,' ALBERT WESLEY BEN- JAMIN, of the village of Yarker, in the county of Addington, in the Province of On 'tario, Canada, have invented certain. new" and useful Improvements in Automoblles, of

' which the followin is the specification.

v'emently.

My invention re ates to im rovements in automobiles,.an d the object 0 the invent-ion is to devise alaneans wherebyshould'a'ny parts or portion of the steering-gear become broken or disabled, the wheels will automatically be restored to track with the rear wheels and thereb insure of the car running straight, untll it can be stopped con- Fi ure -1; whee and a portion of the axle connected thereto-and, shows my device in position.

Fig. 2, is .a perspective detail view of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is a rspective detail view of an alternative orm of -my device. 4

In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding arts in each figure.

A is. a portion .of the i iont 'axleof an automobile. p B is a portion of-the supporting s ring of the automobile which is connecte 'to the front axle.

The frontflaxle 'A- is provided with the usual forked end A between the arms of which is connected the vertical portion 0 connected with the automobile wheel C. The wheel 0 is provided withthe usual bearing box C. The steering arm C is connected with :the portion C against which'the hub bears and through which the stub "axle,

passes. v 0 D are a pair of arms pivotally connected 1 extending through a suitable portion such 'as D of the axle. v v E is a horizontal plun er bar arranged parallel with the aforesaid axle and pivotally connected to the lower end of the arms D by a pin E The outer ends of the bars E bear against the inner face of the wheel boxing C as will be seen on referring particularly to Fig. 1. I

' F are vertical standards secured on the axle ofthe automobile at a suitable distance from the end thereof. y F are spiral springs which extend beis a plan view of an automobile fiitermediately of their length by a cross pin' tween the arms D and. the standards F. Such springs tend to draw the up er. ends of the arms inwardly and force t e lower ends of-the arms and horizontal bars'E outwardly so as to press against the wheel boxing C at each side of the pivot joint connection to the axle.

G are springs connecting the upper ends of the arms D with the inner-ends of the bars E so as to hold such bars in proper relative position. It will thus be seen from this description that should the steering gear' become broken when in sure of the plunger bars upon the bearing box at each side of the ivot "joint connect' 11 would have a ten ency to. force the gperation the presw eel into a positionin alinement with the rear Wheel so as to track therewith thereby insurin direct line forwardly after breaking. the steering ear until the automobile is brought to a. stan still in the usual way.

In Fi 21 show an alternative form in which 13 are links ,pivotally connectedby pins H at the bottom to a suitable portion of the axle.

H are standard bars secured to each side of the axle at a suitable distance from the fork thereof H -are sleeves pivotally connected at their inner e'nds.to the standards H and H are that the automobile travels in av plunger rods extending-into the said sleeves at. their inner ends and-pivotally connected in roximity to their outer ends to the upper en s of the links H. The outer ends are designed to bear against the boxin of 'the wheel in a similar manner to that eseribed' with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

H is a washer secured on the rod H and H is a spiral spring-extending between such washer and the'inner end of the sleeve H.

By this means when; the wheel is drawn out'of alinement bythe steering gear the spiral springs H are compressed so that, s

ould the steering gear be broken, such compressed 5 rings tend to force the front wheels into a inement with the rear wheels.

From this description it willbe seen that I 4 I have devised a very simple means whereby become broken the front 'wheels may be automatically brought back into alinement with the rear wheels .after having been moved out of alinement by the'steering gear I should the steering gear of an automobileso that the 'front and rear wheels track one .With the other and carry the automobile in a direct line forwardly.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In an antoinobile,-the combination with the front axle and the front automobile v Wheels provided with the usual bearing box and the pivot joint connections between such aforesaid box on the Wheel at each side of the pivot joint connection, as and ,for th'e' purpose specified. v

. 2. In anautomobile, thecombination with the front axle, the automobile front wheels each p'rovided wit h a suitable bearing box- Wheels and the"axle, 'of spring plunger-rods secured to the axle and bearing against the and a pivot joint connection between the Wheel and the axle, of lever arms pivotally connected "intermediately of their length to each end of the axle, horizontal plunger bars pivota'lly-connected to the lower end of each against the wheel boxing, of spring connections betweenthe upper ends of the lever arms and theinner ends of the plunger-s and sprlngconneotlons between the upper ends' of'the lever arms and a suitable portion of,

of the levers and bearing at their outer en ds 

